5 minute read
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Florida Section
Setting the Standard for Sustainability and Energy
By Kathleen Ruvarac, PE, 2023-2024 President, ASCE Florida Section
ASCE’s Sustainable Infrastructure Standards Committee of the Committee on Sustainability has published The Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure (73-23), which addresses development and implementation of sustainable infrastructure solutions.
The Sustainability Standard provides guidance and recommendations for sustainable infrastructure development through the entire life-cycle process. The Standard covers leadership, quality of life, resource allocation, the natural world, greenhouse emissions and resilience components to support the consideration and analysis of solutions of natural, non-construction and construction projects.
Sustainability And Energy
One component of the Standard includes the development and implementation of an energy management plan during the planning and design phases of a project to identify and evaluate all lifecycle energy needs and establish an initial energy baseline of consumption by source for each phase.1
The plan should provide strategies that reduce conventional energy demands, increase efficiencies in construction vehicles and equipment, increase energy-consuming efficiencies in the as-constructed infrastructure, maximize the use of renewable energy sources over fossil fuels, and use post-construction commissioning and periodic operations and maintenance phase testing to confirm that energy consumption is aligned with the baseline.
Every four years, America’s civil engineers provide a comprehensive infrastructure assessment of the nation’s 17 major categories in ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card. Using a simple A to F school report card format, it examines current infrastructure conditions and needs, assigning grades, and making recommendations to improve them.
Florida’s 2021 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card grade for the Energy Sector was a C, mediocre, requiring attention. Our recommendations to raise the grade include the promotion of energy sources and generation methods that allow for equity, affordability and access by all members of the community and lessen the burden of energy production and distribution on under-resourced communities. Additionally, we continue to support the acceleration of storm hardening, pole replacement, transitioning lines underground, vegetation management and other measures that reduce weather related outages.
More Sustainable Transportation
Examples of increasing efficiencies in the transportation infrastructure include the electrification of passenger and transit vehicles. Florida has the second-largest number of passenger EVs and the third largest number of electric transit buses on the road in the United States.2
In support of the electrification of transit vehicles, on Feb. 8, the Biden-Harris Administration announced availability of $1.5 billion in federal funding to modernize bus fleets and deploy clean transit buses across America.
As of March 2023, Florida leads the way for electrification of school buses, with 261 electric school buses committed in addition to 66 currently in operation.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) deployed its first electric buses in 2018. They recently received six Battery Electric buses, the first deliveries under a 5-year contract with Gillig for 62 Battery Electric buses. PSTA already operates 88 Gillig Hybrid buses. They will replace legacy diesel models that are aging out of the PSTA fleet. The agency estimates they will save approximately 11 million gallons of diesel fuel over their lifetime.
The new wireless charging station is the first on the US East Coast and uses 250 kW Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) technology from Utah-based WAVE (Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification) to provide power to its electric vehicles. Current sent through the pavement-embedded charging pad induces a magnetic field, which induces an electrical current in a receiver plate mounted on the bottom of the bus. That power is then sent to the onboard battery.
PSTA, in a unique partnership with Duke Energy, has also installed 12 DC fast chargers to support the incoming electric fleet. Additionally, the agency is working on adding 48 DC fast chargers to its property.
Maximizing the use of renewable energy sources by developing electrical storage options can include pumped storage hydropower as well as battery energy and high temperature thermal storage systems.
Resiliency Theme At Annual Conference
As engineers around the world work to develop more resilient, sustainable solutions, many engineers across Florida will attend the ASCE Florida Section’s Annual Conference this summer to advance ideas on creating a more resilient, sustainable state.
This year’s conference, scheduled for July 11-12 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, will focus on resilience and the road to recovery. The Florida Section Annual Conference brings 75+ technical and professional development sessions in 7 tracks of engineering: structural, geotechnical, environmental and water resources, transportation, utilities, sustainability, and professional development.
In addition to professional and technical development, the state-required two-hour Laws/Rules & Ethics course will be offered. The conference also offers exhibitor space to showcase new and innovative products and hosts the annual recognitions awards ceremony. The conference has something for everyone, including our growing number of student members, offering learning opportunities and scholarships.
Sources:
1 Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure (ASCE/COS 73-23).
2 https://cleanenergy.org/blog/ transportation-electrification-inflorida-opportunities-are-brightcould-be-brighter
